Traditional Fairy Tales, Class Four

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

Monday, January 29, Second Period

Today, the class was meeting in the Danger Shop. Stepping through the door, students would find themselves inside what appeared to be a rustic woodsman's cabin. There was the usual arrangement of breakfast treats laid out on a long wooden table, but no comfortable chairs or couches. Through the windows one could see the edge of a dark forest.

"Today is our first immersion study. I've assigned you to work in pairs, and you'll be actively taking part in one of the fairy tales that we'll be studying a little later one -- "Hansel and Gretel". You'll be taking on the roles of the two title characters, but this isn't a play for you to act out the parts. What I want you to do is to imagine that you are the hero or heroine of this tale, and I want you to find your own way to solve the problem presented. The exercise will take place in three stages. I think it'll be quite obvious whether or not you're successful, but the point of this isn't really to 'defeat your enemy'. It's to have the opportunity to see the tale from an insider's perspective."

TEAMS
Armony/Liz
Miley/Conner
Kaoru/Cedric
Kaylee/Evie
Billy/Jack
Angela/Nadia
Turtle/Matilda
Jude/Neil
Phoebe/River
Marie/Haruhi
Lana/Layla

"Now, before we begin, I do have just a little housekeeping to take care of. First, if you did the extra credit assignment, please turn that in to one of the TAs. Second, we will be having a test next week on what we've covered so far, regarding character archetypes. So you may want to study your notes and re-read the assignments. Last, the following students should see me after class with a written excuse for your absence last week: Jude Lizowski and Matilda Wormwood."


[ooc: As mentioned above, there will be three stages to correspond with the three main stages of the story: the abandonment in the woods, the discovery of the witch's house, and the reunion. Play the parts as ICly as possible, I only ask that you actually do attempt to play out the story. I'll be NPCing the parents and the witch, the two members of each team can decide who gets to be Hansel and who gets to be Gretel. You can thank the RNG for the fact that there's only one male-female team. Please wait for the OCD is now up, but I am off to bed and will catch tags in the morning and I am here.]


Syllabus
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THE EXERCISE

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

Once the class has their instructions, each team is led out of the cottage to begin the exercise. Since the Danger Shop fail-safes are always on, there's no danger of anyone actually being abandoned to starve in the woods. Or cooked and eaten by a witch.

[ooc: Please keep your comments in the sub-threads for this.]

STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

From around the corner of the cottage appear a man and a woman dressed in plain but clean peasant clothing. The man is carrying an axe, and the woman addresses the students.

"The four of us are going into the woods to gather firewood," she says. "Come along and don't get lost."

Without waiting for a reply, the students are bustled off down a winding path, and then set to wait in a little clearing. "Stay here and don't wander off, and we'll fetch you when we're finished." The the man and woman disappear, and the students are left alone.

[ooc: You know the drill. Try to find your way back, or wander around aimlessly. This is also a good place to plot how you'll approach the next stage.]

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

Evie watched the 'father and mother' leave, then looked around for Kaylee.

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[enginegirl.livejournal.com]

"Hello," Kaylee greeted as she approached Evie.

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[2-twin-devils-2.livejournal.com]

Kaoru studied the area a little as he waited for Cedric. It still amazed him at the realism this classroom could achieve...

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

Cedric walked over and smiled. "I believe we're partners for this exercise."

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia paid close attention to the path as they walked, then waited for Angela to join her to start figuring out what to do next.

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[chasingangela]

Angela joined Nadia, looking slightly sheepish. "So do you want to be Hansel, or does it even matter?" she asked.

[OOC: Sorry for making you wait.]

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[pyroliz.livejournal.com]

Liz gazed around after her 'parents' had left and waited for Armony.

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Oh, they're so not coming back," Turtle said to Matilda with a small grin, idly wondering why Grace never tried this with her. Maybe she had, but Turtle couldn't remember.

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[indebttocrazies.livejournal.com]

Haruhi didn't really do much beyond idling around, waiting for Marie to begin.

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Not really a big fan of doing what he was told, especially by people who didn't bother to hang around and enforce the rules, Jack paced to the edge of the clearing and stared out into the woods, trying to figure out the best way to go.

It'd be easier for Billy to find him over here, anyway.

[ooc: fyi availability - I'll be heading to bed in about three hours, and then up again about six hours after that.]

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana turned to Layla with a smile. "Please tell me you dropped something more substantial than bread crumbs."

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

Conner hung around waiting for Miley, and really really hoping he wouldn't have to play Gretel. Not that his luck usually ended up working out that way . . .

Re: STAGE ONE - Bad Parenting

[iftheseshadows.livejournal.com]

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Neil looked around the area feeling a bit awkward as he waited for his project partner to join him.

STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

In the light of the full moon that rises over the woods, the students are able to see an odd little house in a clearing. It appears to be made of gingerbread, with icing on the shingles and peppermint sticks forming the window frames.

[ooc: This is the main part of the exercise, where you'll encounter the witch and have to find a way to defeat her and escape. Remember, things don't have to go the way they do in the story.]

Re: STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"Gingerbread house ahoy!" Conner declared as he and Miley came to the end of the path. He stared at the house, and his stomach grumbled. "Wow. Now I'm hungry."

Re: STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River looked at the house, and began to examine it carefully. It looked like a quality gingerbread house.

Re: STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

Evie looked dubiously at the little house. "It really can't be good for you, all those sweets...."

Re: STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle pushed through the brush to lead herself and Matilda into the clearing where the small gingerbread cottage sat. "Well, who've thunk?" she asked, grinning at the other girl over her shoulder. "Great property value, but, man, they sure didn't do much with the place, did they?"

Re: STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[chasingangela]

Angela blinked at the house warily. "Think this is a place where we could stay for the night, or a giant's Christmas project?" she asked.

Re: STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

After some wandering Lana noticed the gingerbread house. "I think we're there," she said with a grin.

Re: STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[iftheseshadows.livejournal.com]

Neil really wasn't one for treats and he'd actually had a good breakfast this morning but he knew from the story that Hansel and Gretel were supposed to be pretty hungy by now so he pointed out the house to Judel? Gredue? His partner in the exercise.

"Oh, look there, Judel...it's a house and I'm so very hungry."

He was totally going to get kicked in the shin for this, wasn't he?

Re: STAGE TWO - Non-Traditional Housing

[l1ttle-billy.livejournal.com]

"Ugh," Billy grunted when he saw the house. "I can feel my teeth rotting just looking at it." Not to say he didn't like sweets, but in moderation.

STAGE THREE - Those Pesky Kids Are Back

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

Assuming they've managed not to become the main course on the witch's menu, the students have the opportunity to search the witch's house if they like. They'll also find that the trail back to the woodsman's cottage is now clearly visible.

[ooc: You are welcome to mod what you find in the witch's house. You do have to go back to the cottage, but how you react to having been left alone in the woods is entirely up to you. ;)]